A Few More Funerals
by OrganizedAnarchist
Summary: A short fanfic in Mark's voice. It's a little cheesy, but I wanted to try it.


We all gathered in the graveyard. It seemed too hard, too impossible that another of us had been taken. I stood stiffly next to Collins, who had his head buried in his hands. Maureen and Joanne stood to the left of me, both crying and hugging each other. I saw Benny drifting in and out of my vision. I remembered that Alison had left him a while ago and his Cyber Studio plans had fallen apart since he no longer had a financier. Roger was slumped over in a folding chair, as if he didn't have enough strength to hold up his head. I doubt he did. My eyes were dry as a stared at the coffin which held Mimi. It was early September so a late summer scent still hung in the air. No one seemed to be able to move.

I slowly moved across to Roger who was whispering things like "_I should tell you_" and "_Goodbye love_". I seemed like the ever present narrator. But that was the story of my life. I was observing instead of being. I was the witness. Even when I wasn't behind a camera I was stuck in narration mode. I stood next to Roger. Collins came and put a hand on Roger's shoulder. There seemed like nothing to say. It was a moment in time which no one could see past. I knew Collins had another teaching gig somewhere and Joanne was still a lawyer. Maureen's protests had grown in fame and I was working on another film. But what was to become of Roger? After April's suicide, I had asked myself this question and he only made it through his withdrawal because of Mimi. Because of Mimi. I moved across to her coffin and opened my mouth to speak to my friends. Where there really only six of us left?

"Mimi was an amazing, heart-felt woman. She and Angel both taught us to live every day like the last," at this Collins let out a small sob, "And it's been a year and a half since we all first met Mimi. We owe her so much." I looked down at the roses placed on her coffin. It seemed like a playback to Angel's funeral almost a year ago. How many funerals would we go through until I was only left? "I guess I just want to say thank you. Thank you Mimi and thank you Angel." I backed away from her coffin and went and stood next to Roger again. He hadn't moved. I couldn't remember the last time he played his guitar. Unless- No. Could it really have been last Christmas? No one else spoke. Roger stood up. We all backed away for a moment as he pulled himself to his feet.

"I'm leaving," he said slowly. "I'm leaving New York." No one could argue. Not after what he had been through. Maureen came over and hugged Collins for a moment. Roger looked at me, as if daring me to stop him. I couldn't. He and I both knew I couldn't do anything to stop him. This was again the story of my life. I was too weak to do anything. We both knew that.

"Go then." I said. He stared at me with cold, dark eyes. "Go" I tried to remember before all this, before Mimi and Angel and Joanne. Was it two Christmases ago? When me and Roger were just sitting in the Loft. I don't even remember what we were doing before Collins came home and before I met Joanne and before Angel danced in our loft. Before Roger lit Mimi's candle. We all watched as Roger stepped towards the coffin. He pressed his fingertips against the wood.

"_The mind churns. The heart yearns_," he sang softly, "_The tears dry, without you. Life goes on, but I'm gone without you_." We all watched, afraid for Roger. We knew we couldn't stop his descent into what must be his mental collapse. He backed away from the coffin. Collins hugged him very softly before letting him walk out of the graveyard. Before I lost Roger from my view, I chased after him.

"So that's it?" I asked, jogging up behind him. "That's your final goodbye to the friends who have been your family for the past year? That's your final goodbye to your best friend?" Roger turned on his heel slowly.

"And who would that best friend be, Mark, you? You know who your best friend is, Mark? Your camera."

"Roger," I slowly moved toward him. He didn't flinch. "Goodbye." He held out his hand to shake, but then thought better of it and we hugged for a moment. Then we both stepped away. He turned around and walked away. I assume that he packed his stuff up from the loft and took a bus because after that I never saw Roger again. I walked back to the graveyard. Everyone had started to wind down and give goodbye hugs. But just before we all parted, I felt something. As if this were the end of something. Collins felt it too and he slowly sang "_I can't believe this family must die_" and we all looked at each other for a long moment before "_I can't believe this is goodbye_ " We all left and I didn't see them again for a long time.

Years later, I was walking down the street when I bumped into, of all people, Maureen.

"Oh my God, Mark! Hi!" she gasped in the breathy way that she does. I was shocked to see her as she gave me a greeting kiss. "How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks."I said. I looked over her. She still was fit, slim, and gorgeous. She was wearing ragged jeans and a black belt with a bright top. "I heard your protests are getting so huge. Congrats! How is it going with Joanne?" I asked and then paused, worried I had said something stupid, "Or are you still with Joanne?" Maureen laughed.

"Don't worry, Mark, we're still together. It's going great actually. Thank you about the protests! I heard about your new documentary, by the way. That's great too!"

"Thanks. Is Joanne still a lawyer these days?"

"Yeah. I keep telling her to get into something more interesting but she never listens." We were both silent for a moment, before I spoke up:

"So did you hear anything about Roger or Collins?" I asked, quietly.

"Yeah, actually I heard that Roger was out in Santa Fe and he started a new band. I hear it's going really well for him. I also heard that Benny went bankrupt and was squatting somewhere. Isn't timing everything in life?" She laughed for a long moment, a Maureen laugh with her head back and her dark hair flowing behind her shoulders. For a moment I remembered why I had been in love with her so many years before. But I shook myself out of it.

"What about Collins?" I asked, wishing it was something good. Maureen paused for a second.

"Well right after Mimi's funeral, I know that he was teaching somewhere and after that fell through I know that he left New York. He said he was going to settle somewhere quieter. I actually think he went down to check on Roger in Santa Fe. But," she stopped and cleared her throat, wishing the lump in it away, "but then, maybe a year after Collins headed down there, I got a call from Roger saying that he had passed away." I stared for a long moment.

"Why wasn't there a service held?" I asked, almost inaudibly. "Why did Roger call you and not me? How long ago was this?" Maureen looked downcast and uncomfortable.

"There wasn't a service because Collins had asked Roger to bury him next to Angel, up here in New York. He didn't want a service; just to be buried next to Angel and Mimi. Roger called me because he didn't want to start talking to you again, he said it would bring up too many memories. He knew you would ask him up here and he would see the loft and think of Mimi. This was about a year ago." She looked at me for a moment and we hugged.

"Thank you for telling me, Maureen." I whispered in her ear.

"No problem, pookie. Hey, me and Joanne live right near here, do you want to drop in to say hi?" I thought for a moment.

"Uh, I don't think I can, I have to go and edit my film." Maureen looked disappointed. "Thanks though" I said.

"Yeah, hey she searched through her purse and pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen. "Here's our number in case you ever want to visit. Just call and we'll be happy to see you. Ok?" She jotted it down.

"Ok" I said, slipping the paper into my pocket. We hugged again and walked in opposite directions. And just like that our group was rent apart again.


End file.
